Daily Leadership Thought #154 – The Importance of Acknowledgment
Success should warrant acknowledgement, especially amongst peer groups.
In the past, I have had the good fortune to be part of an annual awards banquet that recognizes entrepreneurs here in Frederick County, MD. It was nice to see so many people in the same room acknowledging their peers. It was also invigorating to hear the stories of numerous entrepreneurs who have pursued their dreams, taken significant risks, and overcome many obstacles. We often forget how crucial small business owners are to our communities. They are the backbone of our society, contributing significantly to job creation, quality of life, and innovation. Unlike many of their large corporate counterparts, they are typically focused on their own localities and do not shift jobs or profits overseas.
Everyone likes to be acknowledged and appreciated. It is basic human nature. Hard work, determination, and skill should be recognized. It has been proven by many studies that top performers in all occupations prefer to have their performance tracked. It is not so much to feed their ego but more about being transparent about results and progress. Moreover, you can only move the bar if you know where it is right now. Additionally, the desire to compare ourselves to our peers and colleagues fuels our innate competitive nature.
Recognition and praise need to be thoughtful, genuine, and sincere. Not everyone is special all the time. Not all efforts are worthy of praise. I am troubled by our tendency these days to give kids trophies and medals for merely participating, rather than for accomplishing something. We also have a disturbing trend in the last few years, where many business and trade magazines have established and given out awards as a strategy to encourage recipients to advertise in their publications, which only diminishes their legitimacy. Results still matter! Acknowledgement should always be based on authentic, not contrived, success.
I encourage you to identify and acknowledge real accomplishments in your companies, organizations, and communities. It does take some time and effort to make this happen, but it is worth it. The people on the receiving end will appreciate it. They are certainly deserving of attention. It will also inspire others to achieve similar heights and give them role models to follow so they know how to get there.
Acknowledgement both recognizes and stimulates high performance.
Related articles
- The Powerful Impact of Acknowledging Good Work (inc.com)
- Entrepreneurship Tips In The Small Business News (businessinsider.com)
- Why I Like Entrepreneurs (capacity-building.com)
- The Kauffman Foundation Unveils Its First-Ever Super Bowl PSA Honoring and Inspiring Entrepreneurs (kauffman.org)
- Can we nurture a new generation of entrepreneurs? (hiscoxusa.com)
